Sewing machine



MHWFCHI 11, 11. F A. KUCERA 2,234fi23 SEWING" MACHINE Filed July 13, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 217% L 1 FJ 1E1 WITNESSES: INVENTOR- Fran]: fi ifucara,

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1941- F. A. KUCEHM SEWING MACHINE Filed Jul 13, 1937 4 Slmets-Shem 3 Fig; I

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F. A. KUCERA SEWING MACHINE Filed July 13, 1937 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 WI TN ESSES INVENTOR; Frank .fif Knee/"a9 Patented Mar. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SEWING MACHINE poration of Illinois Application July 13,

8 Claims.

This invention relates to sewing machines, and especially to mechanism and arrangements to feed the work and to facilitate its proper disposition for stitching. I have illustrated and explained the invention as embodied in a machine of the general type shown in U. S. Patent No. 1,751,508, granted March 25, 1930, to Norman V. Christensen and Frederick F. Zeier, and No. 2,058,635, granted October 27, 1936, to George Sauer, and as adapted especially for stitching circumferentially around a tubular article, at or near its end or edge. Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from the description of a particular species or form ofembodiment, and from the drawings.

In the drawings, Fig. I is a side view of a lockstitch sewing machine conveniently embodying the invention, with its side cover plates removed to show the internal parts.

Fig. 11 is an end elevation of the machine, from the right of Fig. I.

Fig. III is a view from above with various parts in horizontal section as indicated by the line and arrows LIL-III in Fig. I.

Fig. IV is a partial end elevation, with various parts in vertical section as indicated by the line and arrows IV-IV in Fig. III.

Fig. V is a fragmentary side view of certain parts, taken as indicated by the line and arrows 0 V-V in Fig. III.

Fig. VI is fragmentary side view of the end portion of a piece of tubular work sewn on the machine, such as a sleeve or a trouser leg, a part being broken out and removed in order to show 0 the fabric in cross-section.

As best shown in Figs. I and II, the machine comprises a main frame structure 9 including a bed II] on which is a rather narrow upstanding structure I I carrying a sewing head l2 that overhangs a work support 13, which projects forward from the structure H and overhangs, so that it can enter tubular work endwise. In the sewing head [2 is reciprocably mounted the needle bar l4 carrying the needle l5, and the Work support 13 is provided with a throat plate I6 in the openings of which works a feed-dog ll, shown as of the four-motion type. A presserfoot l8 of any suitable type cooperates with the throat-plate l6 and the feed-dog ll; it is piv- 50 otally mounted on the frame structure at 2|, and is yieldingly held depressed by a spring-pressed plunger 22 in the head l2, the spring not being shown. Beneath the throat-plate l6 and feeddog I! is a four-motion looper 24, cooperating with the needle I5. In the present instance, the

1937, Serial No. 153,302

needle I 5 is operated as usual from a main shaft 25 mounted in bearings in standard I I and head 12, and all the other operating parts are actuated from this shaft, by means of eccentrics 26, 21, 28, 29 thereon. The shaft 25 is shown provided with the usual driving pulley 30 and hand-Wheel 3|.

As will be noted from Fig. III, the vertical plane containing the line of feeding extends 1ongitudinally of the machine and is substantially coincident with a vertical longitudinal plane (indicated by the bro-ken line a-a) which contains the axis of the shaft 25. The work support i3 is shown as projecting still further to the front, so as 'to extend beyond the line of stitching, within the end of the tubular work or article to be sewed. As shown in Figs. II and III, the mechanism is enclosed at the front by a sheet metal covering wall or shield 33, to keep the work from coming in contact with the mechanism. A reentrant angle 34 in this shield 33 allows tubular work to extend on to the support I3 as required.

The parts and features thus far referred to correspond essentially to what is disclosed in the Sauer Patent No. 2,058,635 above mentioned.

As best shown in Figs. I and III, the feed-dog I1 is adjustably mounted'on one end of a fourmotion feed-bar which is movably mounted alongside the frame structure. The other end of the feed-bar 35 is transversely widened to forked configuration as at 36 and connected by a transverse pivot pin 31 to the forked upward extending arm of a feed rocker 38, in the plane of which arm the fork is centralized. A wide bearing is thus provided between the feed-bar 35 and the upwardly extending arm of the feedrocker 38 with the result that said bar is: effectively steadied, and the eccentric strap bar 43 permitted to operate in a substantially vertical plane. rocker 38 is mounted in bearings 40, 40 on the main frame structure, which feed-bar operating rocker 33 has a laterally extending slotted arm El substantially at right angles to its upright arm, by which it is actuated. The work-engaging top surface of the feed-dog 11 does not, in

' the present instance, lie in the general vertical plane of motion of the feed-bar 35, but is offset forward from this plane, being carried and secured (by any suitable means) on a portion 42 of the feed-bar that projects forward under the work support I3 adjacent the reentrant angle 34 of the cover 33. The rocker 38 is oscillated by the eccentric 26, through a strap and eccentric rod 43 whose pivotal connection to the rock- As shown, the fulcrum pin 39 for the er is adjustable along the slotted arm 4! toward and from the fulcrum 39 by means of a screw clamp 44, to adjust the extent of horizontal work-feeding movement imparted to the feeddog II. The eccentric rod 43, it will be seen, extends from its pivotal connection to the rocker 38 up through the medial or fork opening 36 of the feed-bar 35 to the eccentric 26, so that the mechanism is very compact-which allows room for tubular work to extend over the work support I? to the left of the stitching point (Figs. I and III). Besides its work-feeding movement from eccentric 25 through rocker 38, the feed-bar 35 has an up and down work-engaging movement or oscillation (about the pivot 31), imparted to it by the eccentric 29 through a strap and downward-extending eccentric rod 45. The eccentric rod 45 is pivoted at 45 to an upward projecting ear 4! that is offset to the rear (Fig. III) of the general plane of the feed-bar. As shown in Figs. I and III, the eccentric rod 45 is itself offset rearward on a curve, between the eccentric 29 and the pivot 4-6, to provide ample clearance for the corresponding edge of the work. As shown in Fig. I and V, the feed-bar 35, has a downward depression or offset adjacent its front end which carries the ear 41 and the feed-dog IT, to afford room above it for the movements of the eccentric rod 45, and at said front end has an upward projection carrying the feed-dog I1. As shown in Figs. III, IV, and V, the feed-bar 35 is guided and steadied (especially against torsional forces due to the forward offset of the feed-dog H) by means of an upstanding flat-sided guide stud or tongue 48 on the feed-bar, which engages in a guide slot or fork of a part 49 attached (as by bolts) to the main frame structure, though this, of course, is only one of many possible guide arrangements.

The loop-taking and loop-shedding movements and the needle-avoiding movements of the looper 24 are imparted to it by the eccentrics 21, 28 substantially as in the above-mentioned Sauer patent, through eccentric rods iii, 52. However, the pivot shaft 53 for the looper rocker 54, located below the work support i3, is differently mounted, as best shown in Fig. IV. Instead of having an outboard bearing suspended from the work support I3 to the left of the main frame bearing 55, as in said patent, the shaft 53 has an additional inboard bearing 55, suitably spaced to the right from the bearing 55. Accordingly, the projecting end of the shaft 53 and the operating parts thereon are overhung with reference to the bearings 55, 55, these parts comprising, besides the looper rocker, a slotted crank arm 57 clamped to the shaft just to the left of the bearing 55, besides the looper rocker 54 clamped to the shaft beyond the crank arm. A collar 58 clamped on the other end of the shaft 53 keeps it in proper position. As will be apparent from comparing Figs. II and IV with Fig. 4 of Sauer Patent No. 2,058,635, this overhung arrangement leaves unobstructed room under the work support [3 for allowing a smaller garment sleeve, for example, to be slipped over the support. In other words, by keeping the outer end of the shaft 53 and the looper mounted thereon within the confines of the area of the base portion of the bed l5 and dispensing with an outer bearing for said shaft as shown in Figs. II and III, it is possible to greatly reduce the depth of the overhanging portion of the work support (which is, in effect, an extension of the top of the bed in the line of feeding), whereby the present machine is adapted for operation upon tubes of much smaller diameter than possible with the machine of the Sauer patent supra.

As shown in Fig. I, the slotted crank arm 51 is actuated by the eccentric 28, and the pivotal connection of its rod 52 to the slotted crank arm 51 is adjustable along the arm by means of a screw clamp 59 to adjust the extent of needleavoiding motion of the looper 24 as desired. As shown in Figs. I and III, the looper 24 is mounted on a pivot 6| on the rocker 54, and receives its 1oop-taking and loop-shedding oscillation through a link rod 62 from a crank-arm 63 clamped on a (hollow) shaft 54. The shaft 54 is oscillated by the eccentric 21, whose rod 5! is pivoted at E5 to a crank-arm '66 on said shaft.

As shown in Figs. I and II, the equipped with a hem folder in for turning an endless hem at the end of tubular work, such as shown in Fig. VI. This folder may be opened (as illustrated in U. S. Patent No. 1,443,118, January 23, 1923, Chalman) to permit insertion and removal of tubular work.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a sewing machine feed, the combination of a feed bar provided with means for carrying a feed dog at one end and having a depression adjacent said means, and also having an opening therethrough, operating means below said feed bar for imparting to and fro movement thereto, an actuating connection for said operating means extending therefrom up through said opening in the feed bar, and means for imparting up and down movement to the feed dog end of said feed bar extending down from above into said depression, and pivotally connected to the feed bar therein.

2. In a sewing machine feed, the combination of a feed bar provided with means for carrying a feed dog at one end and having a depression adjacent said means, means for imparting to and fro movement to said feed bar connected thereto at its other end, and means for imparting up and down movement to the feed dog end of said feed bar extending down from above into said depression, and pivotally connected to the feed bar therein.

3. In a sewing machine for circumferentially stitching tubular work, the combination with the machine frame structure and an overhanging work support projecting therefrom and adapted to enter the open end of the tubular work, of a four-motion feed bar movably mounted alongside said frame structure, a feed dog carried by said feed bar and offset forward from the general vertical plane of motion of the feed bar under the projecting work support, so as to act therethrough on the work extending thereover, and guide means on the frame structure coacting with the feed dog end of the feed bar to guide the four-motion feed bar in its vertical plane of motion and resist torsion thereon due to the forward offset of the feed dog as aforesaid.

4. In a sewing machine for circumferentially stitching tubular work, the combination with the machine frame structure and an overhanging work support projecting therefrom and adapted to enter the open end of the tubular work, of a needle-bar operating above the work support, a four-motion feed bar movably mounted alongside said frame structure, a feed dog carried by said feed bar and ofiset forward from the general vertical plane of motion of the feed bar under the projecting work support, so as to act theremachine is through on the work extending thereover, guide means on, the frame structure coacting with the feed dog end of the feed bar to guide the fourmotion feed bar in its vertical plane of motion and resist torsion thereon due to the forward offset of the feed dog as aforesaid, a shaft mounted in the frame with its end projecting and overhanging from said frame beneath said work support, and looper mechanism, for cooperating with a needle on said needle-bar, mounted on the overhanging end of said shaft under said work support adjacent the frame, and leaving room unobstructed beneath the work support for the lower portion of tubular work whose upper portion is being stitched on said support.

5. In a sewing machine, the combination of a work support, a needle-bar operating above the work support, a feed-bar below said support provided with means for carrying a feed-dog for acting through the support on work thereon, means above said support for imparting up and down movement to said feed-bar, and an actuating rod connection from said means to said feed bar offset laterally between them to afiord clearance for the edge of the work on the support.

6. In a sewing machine, a feed rocker having arms at an angle to each other, a feed bar having a transversely-widened end portion with an opening thereon, a transverse pivot connecting the widened portion of the feed bar with the end of one of the arms of the rocker, and an actuating member extending through the opening in the feed bar and connecting with the other arm of the rocker.

7. In a sewing machine, a feed rocker having arms at an angle to each other, one of said arms being forked at its end, a feed bar having a transversely-widened forked end portion engaged within and pivotally connected to, the forked end of the forked arm of the rocker and an actuating member extending through the fork opening of the feed bar and connecting with the other arm of the rocker.

8. The combination in a sewing machine for circumferentially stitching tubular work, of a frame having at an elevation above its bed, a work supporting plate with an unobstructed narrow overhanging edge portion projecting beyond one side edge of the base area of said bed transversely of the line of feeding, around which extension the open end of the tubular work is adapted to be placed, a needle movable up and down relative to the work support, a bearing inward of the aforesaid edge of the bed base, a shaft arranged transversely of the line of feeding and journalled in the bearing with one end extending outwardly beyond the bearing well below the overhang of the work support and terminating substantially in the vertical plane of the side edge of the base area, and a looper mounted on the aforesaid end of the shaft within the confines of the base area.

, FRANK A. KUCERA. 

